Madeleines

It would be unusual to find a book on French baking that didn’t include a madeleine in its list of recipes. I remember as a child how I drooled over those little scalloped butter cakes as I looked at them longingly through the window of my local pâtisserie, never having quite enough money to afford to buy one on my daily trip to school. While this provided my first lesson in financial management, it also made me realise that the more you long for something the more delicious it tastes!

Reassuringly, everyone else seems to have the same affinity as I do for these small eighteenth-century cakes. Most famously, Marcel Proust in his much-heralded novel Remembrance of Things Past describes beautifully his first taste of a madeleine: ‘No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shiver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me.’

Makes about 24

note : For this recipe I strongly recommend using a metal madeleine tray rather than a silicone mould, as the metal transfers the heat a lot faster and will help create the characteristic ball-shaped top.

120 g (4¼ oz) unsalted butter

135 g (4¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

4 g (¹/₈ oz) baking powder

3 eggs

160 g (5¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

L Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then remove from the heat and leave to cool until tepid.

L Sift together the flour and baking powder. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the melted butter and the oil, then fold in the flour mixture. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for a better result.

L Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Grease and lightly flour a madeleine tray. I generally use one with holes that measure about 7.5 x 5 cm (3 x 2 in) (see tip). Fill the holes three-quarters full with batter. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F), then place the tray on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cakes from the tray while still warm. When the tray is cool, wipe clean, then grease and lightly flour the tray again and repeat with the remaining batter. Madeleines are best eaten the day they are baked, preferably straight out of the oven.

tip

While a typical madeleine always comes in an oval, scalloped shape, the batter in this recipe is the hero and not the shape. Feel free to use individual cake tins in other shapes, providing they are no deeper than about 5 cm (2 in). If you do use a madeleine tray, note that they are available in small and large sizes. Alternatively, real scallop shells can work, but they need to be greased with butter and floured before use.